Street Fighter: Future
by Gazmof
Summary: Taking place nine years after the events of Street Fighter 3, Bison has returned, finally realising his goal of conquering the world. Only a select few Street Fighters now stand before him. Rating applies to later chapters. Chapter nine is now up.
1. Shadaloo's Return

Disclaimer: I do not own the Street Fighter name, characters, locations or anything else from  
Capcom's legendary 2D fighting series. Capcom own them. And if I owned Capcom, I'd have already  
announced Marvel vs Capcom vs SNK, but I digress.  
  
I do however, own and have written this story purely as a fan of the series. I own the setting,  
the theme and the original characters who appear (such as Xiuying).  
  
Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the story...  
  
*****  
  
Novem smiled to herself as she watched the street fighters below her, gathered around a humble,  
wooden table in the centre of the room. The dwindling light of an old lamp highlighting a map of  
the world stood weakly before the rogue group, trying to defy the aging effects of it's bulb.  
The small glass hatch on the roof of the building allowed her to spy on the team, despite the  
grime and dirt tainting her view. She brushed a piece of her silky dark hair behind her ear and  
continued to stare down on her mission objective. The dark of the blackened, polluted night sky  
and the dingy, grey-black buildings surrounding the roof she was perched on gave her complete  
security from being spotted by her unknowing victims. Only a suicidal or insane female would be  
out alone at this time of night, making her way through dampened alleys in the slums of this huge  
city, but she was neither. Not even the chill of the outside bothered her. Behind her beautiful  
but determined eyes, there was an inner voice calling her; controlling her. A crack in the glass  
gave her an opening, as she placed a small transmitting device over it, stepping back slightly  
and crouching low, watching from above... Waiting.  
  
Yun jumped to his feet angrily, the lamp's calm distorted as he leapt from his chair. The others  
looked up, some surprised, others remaining focused.  
  
"Dammit!" he shouted, trying to resist slamming his fist on the old table. "I'm tired of all this  
sneaking around, when are we going to get into Shadaloo and take out Bison!?"  
  
"Calm down, Yun." Ryu responded, staying seated opposite the young man. "You're no use to any of  
us dead. We have to play this waiting game - Bison is holding all the cards right now." Yun  
ignored the street fighter and turned his back on the rest of them, pacing towards the wall, his  
eyes trailing the floor.  
  
"If you're all so strong, how did you let Bison get this far!?" he growled, clenching his fist  
as the anger boiled in his blood. Ken stood up and walked to the edge of the room.  
  
"We all thought he was long dead." Ryu continued calmly. "We had no idea - It was all so sudden."  
Yun sniffed, and turned away again, folding his arms.  
  
"First he takes Asia, now he's branching into Europe... America won't stand a chance..." Ryu put  
his head in his hands and sighed. If only they had been on their guard, then this wouldn't have  
happened. Yun was right - they should have kept alert. But they had no reason to worry - Ryu had  
seen Bison die with his own eyes. Now, so many years later, he was back, and his plans coming to  
fruition.  
  
"What's done is done." Ken spoke up. "Now we have to focus on the task at hand: Destroying  
Shadaloo from the inside." Yun looked up to the martial arts champion and sighed.  
  
"Whatever you say." he replied, sitting back down beside his younger brother.  
  
"Now..." Ken began, leaning over the table and inviting the rest of the group to peer over to the  
map rolled out before him. He pointed to the central part of Poland, the area of the world in which  
they were currently residing. "As you know, we're here." he then traced his finger along the map  
towards the west of Russia. "We're headed here, to Moscow, where Guile will meet up with us to  
perform a pincer raid on one of Shadaloo's underground military bases." he paused for a moment to  
allow the rest of the team to take in what was just said. "Apparantly, Bison's top scientists are  
performing genetic research there. If we take it out, it'll be a major blow to Shadaloo's future  
plans." again, he paused. "The core of the facility is on the fourtieth basement, and there are  
four ways in - all via elevator. Guile's team'll infiltrate the core while we cause a distraction  
on the upper levels. And remember..." Ken looked up and rolled the map into his pocket. "Stay  
alert. We meet tomorrow at the station. Until then..." he turned the lamp off and took a step back  
from the table. "Be safe. Dismissed!" the warriors all pulled away and took their coats and jackets,  
then exited the room one by one, leaving only Ryu and Ken inside.  
  
"Since when did you become the military man?" Ryu joked, getting up out of his chair and leaning  
against the wall. Ken smiled to himself as he turned the lamp off, folding it down and bringing it  
to his side.  
  
"I guess Guile rubbed it off on me." he answered, pushing the door open and breaking out into the  
cold night air. It had started to rain and Ken began to wish he had brought a coat with him to the  
meeting. He sighed as he remembered his wife Eliza, waiting for him back home in America. She had  
insisted on coming with him to eastern Europe, claiming that they could 'see anything through  
together'. Ken was stubborn on this issue though, and had ordered her to stay in their home country,  
where it was safe. At least, he thought, it would be safe for the timebeing. He snapped back to  
reality and looked up into the dank streets ahead as Ryu exited the building behind him, covering  
himself with his navy blue jacket. In the corner of his eye he noticed a female figure waiting  
beside them, a couple of feet shorter than the both of them. "Oh, it's you Sakura."  
  
"I was just waiting..." she murmered, sidestepping closer to Ryu. "For Ryu to walk me home!" Ken  
chuckled to himself, combing his fingers through his long blond hair in a vain attempt to rid  
himself of the constant flow of water drenching him from above. Ryu zipped up his jacket and closed  
the door gently behind him, locking it tightly, before taking a few steps in front of the two and  
offering his hand to the pretty young lady who had admired and adored him for so many years. She  
took it without hesitation, and allowed Ryu to begin guiding her through the dangerous, blackened  
city. Ken began to head the opposite way.  
  
"See you tomorrow then, Ken!" Ryu called, waving with his free hand. Ken returned the wave, and  
walked off silently into the night.  
  
From atop the roof of their temporary headquarters, Novem rose to her feet and smiled to herself,  
watching the three warriors leave the site. In her hand she kept a hold of the small receiver she  
had placed earlier to record their conversation.  
  
"Did you hear, master?" she asked, seemingly to herself. A voice inside her rippled through ther  
clouded mind she possessed, suddenly creating clarity.  
  
'I did.'  
  
"Would you like me to kill them now?" she continued, unmoved by the pouring rain crashing down over  
her.  
  
'No, leave them be. Report back to me at once.' Novem's expression became blank, as she took some  
paces back, then jumped from the roof and landed elegantly on her feet.  
  
"As you command."  
  
*****  
  
"I'm sorry you couldn't stay at our place..." Ryu began, looking back on the girl hugging his arm.  
"But it'd be really crowded, what with four people and all..." Sakura giggled.  
  
"Don't be silly Ryu, it's fine!" she replied, looking up at him. "Besides, I'm only down the hall  
from your room at the hotel, it's not like I'm far away or anything."  
  
"Yeah, but still..." Ryu's voice trailed off as he took his gaze from the girl and shifted it to  
survey the city around him. The alley they were currently strolling through was a perfect description  
of what Shadaloo had done to almost half of the world now. Up above, the sky was barely visible,  
thanks to the thick gases clouding the area. Huge, black industrial buildings towered overhead,  
now replacing the old mountains which used to be, continuing to pour out smoke and fumes throughout  
the ravaged countryside. This, in comparison to some of the areas under Shadaloo's control, was a  
peasant village. Elsewhere, congested metropolises would span for hundreds of miles, towering high  
into the sky and spreading out over whatever lay in their wake. Ryu would almost always walk Sakura  
to and from the meetings; it wasn't safe for a female to walk unaccompanied, especially at night.  
  
"Ryu...?" Sakura broke the silence, as she stared ahead into the blank distance. Ryu turned to  
look back at her.  
  
"Yes?" he asked. "What is it?" Sakura straightened up and continued to stare on.  
  
"Do you think we'll be okay... Tomorrow?" Ryu was silent, so she decided to continue. "There are  
only seven of us, and we'll be..."  
  
"Sakura!" Ryu hushed her, and they picked up speed, making their way towards the hotel. "You've  
got to keep quiet..." he whispered closely into her ear.  
  
"Oh!" she exclaimed, then lowered her head watching the concrete pass beneath her vaguely. "Sorry..."  
Ryu smiled.  
  
"That's okay. We're almost there, come on!"  
  
*****  
  
A figure adorned in a red uniform, similar to that found on a military commander, chuckled to himself  
whilst sitting on what could only be described as a throne. The chair was a light grey colour,  
giving the false impression that it was made of pure metal. The outside layer, however, was made of a  
softened, stone-like material - warm to the touch. The back of the chair was covered by a large,  
deep purple fabric that enveloped the person seated, to make him or her appear greater in size and  
stature. The man was wearing a red cap with a black edge and a golden badge depicting a winged skull  
on the front. He leaned his face against his fist, staring into his lap, seemingly amused. His  
chuckling became slightly louder, then burst into a roar of laughter as he sat back against the  
chair, keeping his hands firmly gripped on the edge of the throne's arms, which were decorated with  
the ornately carved faces of gargoyles. Slowly, his laughter deteriorated and soon became silent,  
his right palm applying pressure on the stone gargoyle beneath it until it snapped from off the  
throne. He held it in front of him, his hand glowing a mild purple colour. Effortlessly he  
clenched his fist and reopened it again, allowing the crushed contents to spill onto the floor  
before him.  
  
"Well, well, well..." he hissed under his breath. "They're planning on infiltrating my research  
lab, eh?" he rose to his feet, revealing a dark grey, almost black cape flowing from his shoulders  
as he made his way forward to a glass tube positioned in the centre of the vast, dark room. He  
stepped through the doorway and inside the tube itself; the entrance melting back into glass as  
he began to ascend.  
  
In a matter of seconds he was transported to the roof of a huge tower, overlooking an equally  
enormous city. In fact, city was an understatement. Blackened air and dark buildings trailing smog  
stretched as far as the eye could see. Even the incoming sunrise could not be seen, despite being  
at such a great height. The figure brushed past two guards toting rifles, making his way into a  
large helicopter, and helping himself to a seat.  
  
"Ready to take off, sir?" the pilot asked from the front seat as the door automatically slid  
shut behind him.  
  
"Yes..." the man whispered, staring at the floor of the aircraft. "To Moscow..."  
  
With that, the helicopter began to take off; as the man's seat turned and moved back further,  
the opening between himself and the pilot closing behind him. 


	2. The Specimen

"Well..." Ryu muttered, leading Sakura to her room. "Goodnight." Sakura nodded, roaming the  
pockets of her jacket for the keys. She eventually found them, then opened the door where she  
would finally be able to get some sleep. She turned before closing the door.  
  
"Goodnight Ryu." she said softly, closing the door and locking it behind her. Ryu smiled to  
himself and headed back down the hallway, where his room was waiting. Fittingly for this city,  
the hotel was a mess. Several floorboards were loose and creaky, and a gaping hole filled one  
side of the wall, though Ryu was unsure of what had caused it. He arrived at the door to his room  
and slowly began to turn the key in the lock. A satisfying click was heard, and he pushed the  
door open gently, revealing a cosy looking living quarters, despite the obvious lack of care  
inside the hotel's walls. He entered, closing the door behind him and surveyed the small room.  
One medium-sized bed was backed up against the wall, it's quilt and pillow ragged and torn. Next  
to it lay a smaller, occupied bed, it's side facing the wall, seemingly clinging to it's larger  
counterpart. Just to the right was a small alcove, which held an old shower and sink, though  
these objects were out of view from where Ryu was standing. He locked the door behind him, and  
quietly made his way to the smaller bed, where a little girl of around eight years old lay,  
sleeping peacefully. Kneeling down, he smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead, before  
rising to his feet again and turning to see a beautiful woman of Chinese origin standing before  
him. Her dark brown hair flowed down past her shoulders, and despite the fact that her eyes were  
of a similar colour, they shone brightly; happily. Her eyes met with his and for a moment  
nothing was heard, apart from the soft mumblings of the sleeping girl, before she gently broke  
the silence.  
  
"Welcome home." the woman said softly, smiling at him. Ryu stayed silent for a moment, then  
nodded.  
  
"Thanks." he replied, walking over to the opposite side of the bed and sitting down to face her.  
She sat down beside him and put an arm around him before speaking up once more.  
  
"How did it go?" Ryu sighed and lay back on the bed, stretching his arms as she waited patiently  
for a response.  
  
"The usual, I guess..." he answered, staring up at the ceiling. A small spider stared back at  
him, before scuttling hurriedly across the wall and back to his web. "We leave for Moscow in the  
morning..." Ryu listened to the gentle snoring of the girl behind him. "How is she?"  
  
"Missing her daddy." the woman replied, her voice seemed light-hearted this time. Ryu chuckled.  
  
"Chun-Li...?" he murmered.  
  
"Yes?" the woman responded, sitting up and turning to look at him.  
  
"I'm sorry..." he began. "For bringing you here..." Chun-Li smiled to herself before rolling  
gently on top of Ryu, forcing their eyes to meet once again.  
  
"I was the one who wanted to come, remember?" Ryu sighed, then nodded. "Though I am beginning to  
regret bringing Xiuying here..." she lifted her head up to see the end of the bed where her  
daughter lay.  
  
"That's not your fault." Ryu argued. "She didn't have anywhere to stay in America, and we don't  
really know Eliza." Chun-Li sighed and closed her eyes.  
  
"I'm such a bad mother." she hissed to herself, before Ryu hushed her.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous." he said, wrapping his arms around her, just above her waist. "You're a  
great mother."  
  
"I'm a great mother who brings her kid on military runs." Chun-Li joked at herself harshly.  
  
"Come on, what's done is done." Ryu paused before continuing. "We might as well enjoy having her  
here." Chun-Li sighed, then a smile emerged on her face. "That's more like it!" Ryu exclaimed,  
before she silenced him by parting his lips with her tongue. For a few brief moments of paradise,  
time seemed to stop as they concentrated only on their kiss. Chun-Li opened her eyes and broke  
away, smiling, before pushing herself off the bed.  
  
"C'mon." she told him. "Let's get some sleep."  
  
*****  
  
The helicopter blades began to slow as the aircraft finished it's descent and landed neatly on  
the roof of a six storey military complex, the deep red landing lights glowing faintly against  
the force of the constant rain. The door slid open and the caped figure emerged, undaunted by the  
downpour as he made his way to a small protusion on the building. Closer inspection revealed a  
metal, security encoded door. He placed his right palm over a small black panel, which beeped and  
unlocked the door upon identification of the man. He pulled the door open, it's foundation of  
metal rails clicking as the large slab crossed over them sharply. Entering, he punched in a  
number on the inside keypanel, closing the door and allowing the elevator to descend.  
  
Bright white lights passed his field of vision inside the glass window at the front of the  
elevator, each one indicating an individual floor of the complex he had just passed. He arrived  
at the bottom level and exited the transport, entering a huge metal throneroom, similar to the  
one he was in only a few hours earlier. In the centre of the room was a huge glass cyclinder,  
wired up to several large keyboards and computer mainframes, which surrounded the transparent  
column. Inside it, was a man. He was slightly taller than the cloaked figure, and had flowing,  
golden blond hair down past his shoulders. His legs, chest and body were bare, and showed off his  
bizarre skin colour. On the left part of his body, his skin was an icy blue, the chilly  
temparature occassionally made visible by a random droplet of cool water, which would often  
protude from his chest or arm. The right part of his body however, was much more menacing, and  
made a stark contrast to it's opposite. This side was a molten red, flames rising every few  
seconds, warning onlookers of it's potential. On his forehead, was a small, circular crest,  
seemingly marked since birth. The prisoner looked up to his new visitor, then growled, throwing  
himself against the glass, trying desperately to break free. As he did this, the wires connected  
to the tube glowed with the yellow glory of electricity, feeding the computers which analysed his  
status. The onlooker smirked at the futility of his efforts, his arms folded.  
  
"Really, what a waste of energy." he mocked. The captive man again growled, anger boiling at the  
sight of his captor.  
  
"Dammit, Bison!" he cried, again pounding his fists against his glass confines. "Release me!"  
the man chuckled at this.  
  
"Really, Gill..." he laughed. "Now why would I want to do that?" the prisoner remained silent,  
except for the growling low in his throat. "I must admit, I'm impressed..." Bison continued. "No  
ordinary man would be able to handle this... In fact, I'm surprised you're not dead yet."  
  
"You are a fool, Bison..." Gill answered, staring defiantly into Bison's eyes. Bison laughed.  
  
"You really are priceless, Gill!" he cackled, leaning forward menacingly, glaring at his subject.  
"You were the fool! You actually thought you had this world in your grasp, didn't you!?" he burst  
into laughter again, taking some steps back.  
  
"Master!" a female voice called out from behind the lord of Shadaloo. Bison turned to see a  
young woman in her late twenties. She had short blonde hair, with a tuft of it flowing over her  
face fascinatingly. Her eyes were a brilliant sapphire blue, and she wore a tight-fitting light  
blue suit, with a small yellow tie clipped over her collar. The suit complimented her elegant  
body perfectly, and if one word could sum her up, it would be 'beautiful'. Bison smiled at her.  
  
"General Cammy." he responded, extending his arms welcomingly. "Come." Cammy smiled to herself,  
slightly blushing, and made her way to the evil mastermind. As soon as their proximity closed in  
on each other, Bison pulled her into his arms and hugged her, smirking to himself. He pushed her  
away from him abruptly before asking: "How have things been in my absence?"  
  
"Sir!" she replied, saluting him. "Everything is in working order, sir." Bison smiled.  
  
"Excellent!" he chuckled, turning back to the enslaved Gill. "Now rest, my specimen." he said,  
pulling a lever on the nearby keyboard. The plate of ground the tube and computers were nestled  
on began to shake, slowly descending beneath them. The hole where the cylinder once stood was  
covered up by a thin metal sheet, leaving only a small panel to recall the project when  
necessary.  
  
Beneath the ground, surrounded only by darkness, Gill fell to his knees inside his prison, anger  
bubbling in his stomach as he recalled how Bison had defeated him, months ago...  
  
*****  
  
Gill stood proudly beneath his temple, the shrine to himself, and the glorious future that  
awaited him. Under his rule, this planet would grow to exceed new heights, new expectations that  
the people living there could not even dare to imagine. He was adorned in his favourite grey robes,  
and looked almost like a priest, examining a library. He would often spend hours reading the  
great tomes and prophecies of long ago, constructing in his mind exactly how his conquest of  
Earth would appear to the sages of old. He turned another page, and skimmed it's contents, unaware  
of the man who had just approached from behind - Bison.  
  
"Greetings, Gill." he called. Surprised, Gill turned then gave a look of terror as he saw who had  
just greeted him.  
  
"Y-you...!" he managed. Bison chuckled. "How... How did you...!?"  
  
"It doesn't matter." he replied, walking closer. "All you need to know is... You helped in my  
rebirth." Gill stared at him, wide eyed.  
  
"Impossible!" he hesitated for a moment, before speaking up again. "Urien!" he checked around,  
panicking. "Where is Urien!?" Bison laughed softly, before raising his right hand, to reveal  
Urien's severed head within his bloodied palm. He paused for an instant to take in the satisfaction  
of Gill's horrified face before throwing the gory remains of the self-proclaimed deity's brother  
at his feet.  
  
"You call that a bodyguard?" he tormented. "I had a boxer who was more efficient..."  
  
Before Gill could react, Bison clasped his two hands together at his side, purple flames  
suddenly rising from his reincarnated body. He launched himself headfirst at his opponent,  
screaming his way towards him.  
  
"PSYCHO CRUSHER!!" he cried, ripping through the centre of Gill's chest. His assault stopped,  
and he stood up straight behind him. Slowly, Gill fell to his knees, his robes stained with gore. 


	3. Train to Underground Hell

Ken tightened his grip on the train timetable in his hands. He had been waiting for half an  
hour at the platform, and still they had not all assembled; not even Ryu, which surprised him  
since Ryu would usually always be on time. He smiled to himself, recalling how Eliza had changed  
his own life when they got married. It must have been the same for Ryu and Chun-Li. He leaned  
back against the bulletin board opposite the track and sighed, staring out past the roof of the  
station. Despite being around eight o'clock in the morning, the sun could still not be seen, and  
the sky remained only slightly less bleak than last night's. He wished he could just finish all  
of this, return home and live as he used to: without worrying about the next danger. Perhaps he  
could even give up martial arts. After all, he had earned enough money to retire. He shook his  
head as he began to realise how boring sitting at home would be. Lost in thought, he failed to  
notice Ryu arrive with Sakura, Chun-Li, and his daughter perched on his shoulder.  
  
"Ken!" Ryu called, knocking him back to reality. Ken looked up, surprised.  
  
"Oh?" he murmered. "Ah, about time!" Ryu laughed slightly, raising one hand in his defence.  
  
"Hey, we were a bit late packing, that's all!" he replied.  
  
"Always the same excuse..." Ken yawned, pocketing the timetable that was in his hands. "The  
others had better get here soon, our train leaves in half an hour." Ryu lowered Xiuying to the  
ground and sat down on the nearby bench, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive.  
  
"Hiya Uncle Ken!" she greeted her parent's friend, extending her arm up to him. Ken took her  
hand and nodded.  
  
"Hey kid." he replied, jokingly. He knew that she hated that name. She would always protest  
when he called her this, claiming: 'I have a name, you know!'. Xiuying scowled at him, remaining  
silent, then hovered back to where her mother was standing.  
  
It was a good twenty minutes or so until Yun, Yang and Sean appeared. Ken had scolded them upon  
arrival, but they all seemed rather unfazed, bar Yang, who, in contrast to his brother, seemed to  
be eager to please the older members of the team. The two brothers from Hong Kong had not yet  
been introduced to Guile yet, and it would be their first time meeting with him at the research  
facility.  
  
"C'mon Ken, at least we haven't missed our ride yet!" Sean argued. Ken glared at him, but was  
interrupted by the roaring sound of their train rushing towards the platform, grinding slowly to  
a halt. The group watched in silence as the huge, mobile construction came to a complete stop,  
the passenger doors sliding open to deposit and allow entry to the passengers. Chun-Li picked up  
her daughter, worried that she may get lost within the flow of busy people, and waited for the  
crowds to disperse before heading into the transport with the rest of their group. In a mere few  
hours, they would begin their assault on one of Bison's greatest strongholds.  
  
*****  
  
  
"Psycho Soldier, First Class, reporting, Miss!" Novem called, saluting Cammy upon approaching  
the huge metal doors to Bison's throne-room. Cammy frowned.  
  
"Master Bison is busy at the moment..." she began, but was interrupted by the opening of the  
doors behind her. She turned to see the warlord towering above her, smirking.  
  
"General, I'm never too busy for a report..." he chuckled, walking towards Novem and placing his  
hand underneath her chin and prompting her to look into his eyes. A stern yet oddly comforting  
gaze was his reply. He raised his arm and clicked his fingers, signalling for the two women to  
follow as he returned to his headquarters, the doors closing tightly behind him.  
  
It was eerily dark in the room, the only colour being the deep red carpet leading up to his  
throne, and the tapestries hanging from the walls bearing an identical colour. He sat down in his  
chair and the two females dropped to their knees, bowing before him. He smiled at the ability of  
his Psycho Power - they were constantly obedient to him.  
  
"Now, soldier." he said gently, his words echoing in the emptiness. "Your report." Novem raised  
her head, her glassy-eyed, zombie-like stare fixed on the form of her master.  
  
"My lord..." she spoke up. "I have uncovered information that the rebels are planning an attack  
on this very complex."  
  
"I know that already!" Bison snarled. "Get to the point!"  
  
Unshaken, Novem continued.  
  
"There are only six of them, and they appear to be attacking without arms, relying more on  
sneak tactics than brute force..." Bison rubbed his chin and began to think for a moment. "They  
will be meeting up with another fighter aswell, who goes by the name of Guile."  
  
"That makes seven..." Bison murmered to himself, staring vaguely into space. He turned his gaze  
back onto the soldier before speaking up again. "Rise. Dismissed."  
  
Both Cammy and Novem obeyed, turning back towards the entrance to the room.  
  
"Not you, general." Cammy looked back at the warlord, who was looking smug. "It's time for  
the..." he paused before continuing his sentence. "...'Examination'..." chuckling to himself,  
Novem exited the room and Cammy stood before him, slightly puzzled by what he meant. The door  
closed behind the dark haired soldier, and the room was silent once again. Neither made a sound,  
until Bison opened his arms, as if awaiting a hug. "Come."  
  
Cammy's eyes suddenly shifted from their casual light blue, to a sinister, mild purple. It felt  
like this new, invading colour was a mist inside her head, clouding her pupils. Soon the entirety  
of the iris and even the whites of her eyes were tinged with the optical 'gas'. Her mouth opened  
slightly, an instant reaction. She felt like she had been knocked unconcious, yet was still aware  
of her surroundings; a strange, swirling dream in which she was a mere spectator, who had no  
control over her actions. Her eyes stared blankly into Bison's, who nodded, hitting a bizarre  
chain of nerves in her brain, causing tingling sensations to pulsate inside her head. She nodded  
in response, slowly undressing herself until the only thing left covering her shaking body was  
her soft, white skin. Bison beckoned, and she obeyed, taking one small step at a time towards  
him, until they were inches away. This was such a bizarre feeling, and it scared her, but she  
wasn't afraid. She didn't know what exactly was happening, but she didn't struggle. A part of her  
was telling her: 'This is okay. Don't struggle. You'll feel fine.'. She didn't feel fine though.  
This reassuring part of her seemed alien in origin: it wasn't Cammy. But then again... Who is  
Cammy, anyway? She sat down in Bison's lap, staring into his dark, sinister eyes. Timidly, she  
attempted to wrap her arms around him, but he scowled at her in response, causing a ripple of  
pain to strike directly through her skull. She tried to scream but all she could manage was a  
soft mew. Slightly numb from the pain, she could only watch as Bison positioned her to kneel at  
the foot of his throne, placing his right palm over her confused head. A soft purple glow began  
to emerge, which passed from the hand into her brain, through her eyes, nose and mouth: any  
entrance it could find.  
  
"That's right..." he hissed gently, then suddenly roared with laughter as he watched the girl  
helplessly stare into his lap.  
  
*****  
  
The train carriage shook up and down as the vehicle thundered across the rails towards it's  
destination. Chun-Li was keeping her daughter close, with Ryu opposite her, sitting beside Ken.  
Sean, Sakura, Yun and Yang were on the other side of the carriage, all sitting together. Yun  
stared out of the window, leaning on his fist looking vacant. Almost the entire journey had the  
same monotonous urban theme to it; all he could see was buildings and concrete. The occassional  
dead field and scarred tree were seen, but then another city scene hurtled into view. He sighed  
and turned back to look at his fellow passengers. Sean and Yang were playing a game of rock,  
paper scissors, whilst Sakura was tapping away at a small, oddly shaped video games machine. In  
the cartridge slot, noticable only from the back, was the title: 'Darkstalkers'. The system  
bleeped at each button press, generating different sounds as Sakura continued. Yun stretched back  
and leaned against his chair, staring at the ceiling, which shook up and down in rythym to the  
wheels below. He kept his foot on the blue skateboard below him, occassionally sliding it back  
and forth to pass the time.  
  
"Aren't we there yet?" he asked, whining present in his voice. Sean and Yang finished their game  
before looking up at him.  
  
"C'mon, it's a long way." Sean replied. "Lighten up!"  
  
"This is boring..." Yun replied. His brother laughed.  
  
"I'm sure there will be plenty of fun to be had when we arrive!"  
  
"Yeah, I guess..." Yun eyed Sakura, who had not once taken her eyes off the screen. She  
continued to concentrate, ignoring the others. Yun looked around the rest of the carriage. Most  
of the travellers seemed to be businessmen of some kind, wearing dull grey or light blue suits  
and ties, but one person was standing at the door where the carriages connected, dressed in a  
dim beige coloured overcoat, facing away from Yun. He seemed to have his face concealed. Now that  
he thought about it, Yun recalled him being in the exact same spot from the beginning of the  
journey. Frowning, he cautiously turned back to stare out of the window, when a hand was placed  
on his shoulder.  
  
"Hey, c'mon!" Sakura said. "It's our stop." Yun looked around, then saw Ken leading the rest of  
the group towards the exit doors at the side of the carriage.  
  
"Well, it's about time!" he exclaimed, kicking up the skateboard into his arms and hurrying over  
to where the others were waiting. They were right, the train did seem to be slowing down, but was  
still just as shaky as ever.  
  
Eventually their transport came to a complete stop, as the doors slid open and Ken stepped out,  
followed by the rest of the passengers. Yun began to make his way out of the doors, when somebody  
dressed in a dull jacket hurried past him, pushing him out of the way.  
  
"Hey!" Yun cried, just managing to stop before colliding into the wall. He turned, growling, as  
he watched the figure hurry away from the train. Yun jumped outside onto the platform, shouting  
after him. "You son of a-!"  
  
"Hey!" Ryu said, putting a calming hand on the young fighter's shoulder. "What's wrong?" Yun  
turned, the frustration obvious in his eyes, then shook his head.  
  
"Ah..." he mumbled, turning back to where the person had been heading, only to see an empty part  
of the station platform. "It's... Nothing..." he squinted, wondering where the stranger had gone.  
  
*****  
  
"Mmm..." Cammy sighed inbetween gasps of air as she continued to suckle at Bison's lap. She  
seemed to have been occupied by his erection for hours before the warlord raised a hand urging  
her to stop.  
  
"That's enough for today." he told her, standing up and adjusting his clothes. He headed towards  
the door of the throneroom before turning to see the trembling girl again. "Get dressed." with a  
click of his fingers, Cammy suddenly awoke, staring around, wondering if what had just happened  
was real or not. Bison exited the room, leaving the general feeling cold, alone, and violated. 


	4. Next Stop: Underground

Bison examined the subject contained within the glass cage, which stared back at him defiantly.  
It's pale white skin was only barely darker than the whites of it's eyes and showed no signs of  
being humanly healthy. Bison stepped back and turned back to the short scientist who was  
clutching a notepad and pencil, waiting for his verdict on the prisoner.  
  
"How does the research go?" he asked, towering over the man in a white laboratory coat.  
  
"Uh, well..." the scientist stammered, adjusting his glasses and addressing the pad in his  
hands. He checked a few pages hurriedly, trying to go as fast, yet at the same time, be as  
accurate as possible. "We've been draining him almost constantly for the past week or so. If we  
continue at this rate, he'll probably be dead in two or three days." Bison nodded, watching the  
specimen wearily move around the limited space of it's confinement, then sitting back down again.  
  
"Very well..." he began. "Continue drainage for the next thirty hours."  
  
"B-but, sir!" the employee protested hesitantly. Bison glared at him in response. "I-If we do  
that... He will most surely die, sir!" Bison began to walk towards the room's exit.  
  
"I don't care." he called back, seeming to hold back anger. "I want that energy right now. Go  
to maximum power if you have to!"  
  
The scientist watched as the man left the room, then turned and punched in several keys on the  
computer next to him. Two black, mechanical rods were automatically lowered from the roof of the  
cage, then pressed into the subject, causing a scream of agony to echo around the chamber.  
  
*****  
  
Chun-Li sighed, throwing another suitcase down into a corner of the hotel room.  
  
"At least this hotel is slightly better than the last..." Ryu commented, moving the last of  
their bags into the room. Chun-Li stretched her arms out into the air, then walked over to her  
husband and daughter.  
  
"Okay, everything should be fine if we leave it here." Ken said, watching Yun gently slide his  
skateboard into the pile of luggage on the floor. "There won't be much time after Guile gives us  
the signal, so we'll have to make it out of the base as fast as possible. You got that?"  
everyone nodded their heads in response. "Right, well..." he murmered, looking around the room.  
"We'd better get going. Everyone follow me." Yun, Yang, Sean and Sakura all followed Ken, who  
lead them downstairs to the hotel lobby, where they would wait for Ryu and Chun-Li. Chun-Li  
hugged her daughter tightly.  
  
"Now you'll be okay here, right Xiuying?" she asked. The girl nodded and smiled.  
  
"Don't worry." Ryu said comfortingly, ruffling her hair. "We'll be back before it gets late.  
Okay?" again, the girl nodded.  
  
"I made you a bit of lunch - it's in our suitcase." Chun-Li told her little girl. "If you get  
hungry..."  
  
"I know." Xiuying interrupted.  
  
"Alright." Ryu stood up and walked over to the door, followed by a hesitant Chun-Li. "Take care,  
Xiuying." he whispered, before closing and locking the door behind him and his wife.  
  
*****  
  
Ken had decided to take the underground train to the nearest stop near the complex. Once there,  
they would make their way there via a route in the sewers that Guile's team had earlier detected.  
Sakura had protested against this idea, but her argument seemed to fall on deaf ears. This was  
the only way to get to the facility without being spotted. That was, of course, provided that no  
Shadaloo guards had been posted near the sewer entrance.  
  
"I've had enough of trains." Sean yawned, watching the flashing lights of the underground rail  
tunnel flash past the nearby window. "When are we going to start seeing some action?"  
  
"Quit complaining." Yun snapped. Sean looked at him, bemused.  
  
"Well, you've certainly changed your tune, brother." Yang commented, staring at the blue cap  
which covered his face. "Nervous?" Yun was silent, merely staring at the hands in his lap as the  
train jolted over the track again and again.  
  
"Try and keep your voices down..." Ken urged the young fighters, sitting back in his chair and  
waiting calmly for the train to arrive. He nervously double checked on the rest of the  
passengers, making sure they weren't listening in. He knew that Shadaloo spies could be watching  
from anywhere in the city, ready to strike. These people seemed to be law abiding citizens  
though. Despite Shadaloo's takeover, things had remained relatively civilised in urban areas. In  
fact, looking at the government from below, underneath the ground, it seemed to be almost  
identical. However, there were several, major exceptions. Looking around the small, white  
carriage, there were almost no women riding the train. All seemed to be businessmen, keeping  
themselves to themselves. One figure was dressed in a long jacket, standing near the area where  
the carriages were connected. These people all, by the looks of things, had money. Money was even  
harder to come by now than before. Tax rates and prices for modern conveniences - such as public  
transportation, had sky-rocketed since Shadaloo's takeover. Only the wealthiest could afford to  
live in relatively sanitary conditions; the others were forced to live in slums, or, worse still,  
have no homes at all. Ken clenched his fist tightly, the determination of overthrowing Bison  
intensifying in his blood. His thoughts were shattered by the sound of the train coming to a  
complete stop. "Let's go." he ordered, standing up and making his way out through the doors at  
the side of the train, which had just slid open.  
  
Outside the train, Ken checked a small street map in his pocket. Analysing the information  
carefully, he wrapped it up and replaced it, heading towards the tunnel to exit the underground,  
being sure to motion for the others to follow him. The team made their way through several large  
tunnels, before branching out into smaller, narrower routes. As they continued to walk further,  
the number of people present quickly diminished, and soon, it was only them.  
  
"Alright." Ken spoke up finally. "Last one."  
  
It was soon to be discovered that he was correct. They headed around a corner to find nothing  
but a dead end. The wall was covered in the same decorative design as the rest of the tunnels had  
been, only in the centre was a large, rusted metal opening, similar to one found on ancient  
boilers, only much, much bigger. Ken approached it and tried the handle. It would barely move,  
and seemed to have been unused in quite a while. Stepping back, Ken motioned to Sean to come  
nearer.  
  
"Let's see how your fireball technique is coming along." Sean hesitated for a moment, then  
faced the door and concentrated hard, closing his eyes as he changed the flow of his energy,  
pouring it into his hands in order to strike. Suddenly he thrust his palms out together, creating  
a burst of fire which ripped into the metal door, burning a hole inside it. The door fell  
inwards, hanging on by it's hinge, before snapping off and falling to the concrete below. "Not  
bad!" Ken laughed, then climbed his way through the new entrance, leading the way for the others  
to follow.  
  
The smell of sewage was now overwhelming, stagnant air surrounding them all as they sidestepped  
and crept between the narrow passageways, trying to avoid losing their grip and falling into the  
murky water below. A rat passed along the opposite tunnel, fortunately noticed only by Ryu, who  
was relieved that Sakura didn't see it. They made their way around the thin path, then jumped  
down onto a pleasantly wider tunnel, which seemed to be a lot better kept than the previous areas  
they had passed.  
  
"Ugh..." Yun complained, stepping down behind the others. "What a stench... How much further to  
go?" Ken double checked the map again, then turned to reply.  
  
"We're almost there..." he paused, noticing something at the end of the tunnel they were in.  
"Looks like the entrance is down there." he pointed towards the dead end, where, once inspected  
more closer, it was revealed to be an old set of double doors, just taller than Ken himself. He  
traced the edges of the doors with his fingers, trying to find a switch to activate what  
appeared to be an elevator; because of the faded lights just above the doors.  
  
"It doesn't look like it's been used for a long time..." Chun-Li began, walking closer and  
checking the small alcove which contained protruding circuitry from where the elevator call  
panel had been ripped off. "Yun, give me your hat." Yun stared at her for a moment, surprised,  
before slowly removing and handing her the cap he had worn for years.  
  
"Uh, yeah, sure..." he murmered. "Here you go... What are you...?" he watched as the Chinese  
beauty showed off her technical side. She gently pushed a tuft of the outcropping wires with the  
back edge of the blue cap, causing a small spark to emerge and slightly singe the headgear.  
"HEY!!" he cried, snatching it away from her instantly. "What the hell do you think you're  
doing? This cost a lot! It's got sentimental value!" Chun-Li laughed slightly, holding her hands  
up to the angry martial arts pro.  
  
"I was just checking!" she defended herself. "You wouldn't have wanted me to use your hand  
instead, would you?" Yun growled and donned his hat once more, adjusting it slightly. Yang tried  
to hold back a small laugh, but failed. "Anyway..." Chun-Li continued, turning back to the  
vandalised panel. "There doesn't seem to be much electricity running to this any more... If I  
could get it running it would attract security attention, and even then it could only ascend two  
or three levels..."  
  
"So what should we do?" Sean asked, becoming slightly impatient.  
  
"Well..." she explained. "It may just be easier to manually climb up to the next level and use  
another elevator."  
  
"We'll still need to open this door though..." Yang chimed in. Chun-Li nodded.  
  
"Ha!" Sean laughed, approaching the door. "Easily done!" he assumed a pose and began to charge  
up a fireball, when Ryu stopped him.  
  
"Sean, you can't." Sean looked up at his elder, confused. "If they detect a large amount of  
energy being used so close to their area... They're bound to tighten the security around here."  
Sean looked to Ken, who nodded to confirm Ryu's accuracy.  
  
"We'll need to flex our muscles!" Ken chuckled, stretching his arms before lining his fingers up  
with the central gap in the elevator, where the two doors met. "Ryu, give me a hand here..." Ryu  
obliged, taking his position at the other door. "One..." Ken counted down before they began.  
"Two... Three!" the two fighters pulled the weight of their individual doors, slowly but surely  
pulling them back to allow at least one person to enter the lift. Both of them leaned against the  
wall, breathing heavily, whilst Chun-Li made her way inside the transporter. She looked around,  
examining the cramped room. Pausing, she jumped and kicked the ceiling panel open, creating a  
small, satisfying clang which reverberated around the tunnel before dispersing further into the  
sewers. She turned back to the others, waiting outside.  
  
"Let's move." she ordered. Ken, Ryu and the others all nodded, then followed as she climbed up  
onto the roof of the elevator.  
  
"Man..." Yun muttered to himself. "Did that Ryu score..." 


	5. Infiltration

Quick Author's Note: "Sorry about the delay in updating. I was upgrading systems to my new Macintosh, so I've been unable to write any more recently. Fortunately I should be able to write a lot more with my own computer, so you'll see more updates more often. Thanks for being so patient, and enjoy this chapter!" - Gazmof  
  
*****  
  
"Here you go." the young general said whilst placing a glass of water and some fruit on a small, black coloured metal tray, slightly larger than her hand, which slid inside the dark machine, taking it's contents with it. A few seconds passed before it re-emerged from a sliding panel in the floor of the glass tube, depositing the scraps then withdrawing back into the ground. The captive man looked at the offering for a moment, then turned his head away and stared defiantly through the walls of his glass confines, his expression remaining blank. Cammy sighed and knelt down beside the prisoner, watching his eyes closely. She didn't know the word to describe him - it seemed to have escaped her vocabulary. Whatever the word was, it would sum up a feeling of bizarre endearment, though why she felt this way even she was unsure. He had a very unique appearance that seemed to enthral her more everytime she cast here eyes upon him; but it wasn't just his beautiful, dark brown eyes, or the delightful visage of his strong, muscular form, which she could only imagine underneath the dark jacket he wore. It was the mystery of his character that fascinated her more than anything else. Despite the fact that she had not even heard him speak a single word, she felt drawn to this man. It was this intrigue that frightened her so much. She prayed her commander could not read her thoughts. "You haven't eaten anything in three days..." she began. "You have to regain your strength for when Master Bison..." her words were silenced as she watched the man close his eyes and lean back on his arms, as if trying to go to sleep. Sighing again before getting to her feet, she looked one last time towards his eyes, which were now covered by the deep red of his long, flowing hair. She turned to exit the room when another person entered, dressed in the traditional uniform of Shadaloo, bar the helmet used during combat procedures. The man had long, golden hair fashioned in a ponytail which trailed down his back in complete contrast with the clothing he wore. "Vega." Cammy said, watching him smile at her from a few feet away. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Oh, you know..." he chuckled, walking past her and admiring her form before scowling at the trapped fighter in the centre of the room. "The usual."  
  
"If you'll excuse me I have some things to do." Cammy made her way to the door before Vega stopped her.  
  
"And that's why I'm here." he told her. "Bison said that he wants this one prepared." Cammy stared blankly for a moment, then tried to suppress her worried look.  
  
"N-Now?" she stammered, looking back at the cage. "But, we weren't scheduled to...!" Vega placed his hand on her shoulder calmly.  
  
"Orders are orders, little warrior." Cammy looked away towards the cold, metal floorboards below her, then looked back to the street fighter.  
  
"Understood." she said finally. "Tell the master I'll prepare him immediately." Vega smiled at Cammy, then sneered at the man in the cage when her back was turned. The man's expression remained blank as his eyes went from Vega's, back to the glass walls of his confines.  
  
*****  
  
Chun-Li crouched down low, double checking on the pistol in her hand, making sure that the ammunition was loaded and in check. She watched as the final member of their team, the young Brazilian Sean climbed up the cord connecting the defunct elevator to the roof of the multi-storey Shadaloo research facility, then jumped up onto the small alcove where the rest of the group were waiting.  
  
"Are you sure this is the right floor?" Yang asked Ken, who smiled and made his way over to the rusty door, loading his gun on the way.  
  
"Trust me kid." he answered. "I don't make mistakes." Ken checked his watch, the second hand seemed to slow with every 'tick' sound it made as they neared their decided time to attack. "Alright." he said, looking up and grabbing the attention of everyone there. "Everyone got your weapon loaded?" Sakura nervously gripped the pistol in her hands, examining the top of the firearm cautiously.  
  
"Um... Ken?" she murmered. "Uh... We're not really going to shoot anyone... Are we?" Ken smiled at her.  
  
"Huh, don't worry." he laughed. "They're really just for show. I doubt anyone will put up a fight when they see us waving these babies about." Sakura eyed her handgun suspiciously.  
  
"And if they do..." Chun-Li chimed in, leaning closer to the girl. "Don't be afraid to shoot. Go for the legs - it'll stop them in their tracks, but isn't too fatal."  
  
"Uh..." Sakura mumbled, looking from the Chinese woman back to the weapon in her arms.  
  
"Hey, don't worry!" Chun-Li continued. "It gets easier the more you do it!" Sakura swallowed nervously and lowered the gun to her side, making sure it was pointed to the ground.  
  
"Man, this stuff is so cool!" Sean exclaimed, loading some ammunition.  
  
"Alright!" Ken began. "Everybody ready?"  
  
"Yessir!" the rest of the group called back, trying not to be too loud.  
  
"Then let's go!" Ken turned and kicked down the metal door behind him, causing a large bang to sound when the steel hit the floor. He rushed through the newly made entrance to discover a deserted room, filled with huge computers and mainframes in the centre. The rest of the team followed more timidly. An explosion was heard from above, causing the ground to shake slightly.  
  
"What was that!?" Sakura cried, jumping to Ryu's side almost immediately. Ken chuckled.  
  
"Heh... Looks like Guile's right on time." the opposite door opened suddenly as a man dressed in a white laboratory coat and glasses walked in, then immediately threw his arms up in the air when he noticed the intruders.  
  
"I-I surrender!" he stuttered. Ken smiled then walked past him, signalling for the others to follow.  
  
"You see Sakura?" he laughed. "No resistance at all."  
  
*****  
  
"Security breach on basement thirteen!" the security monitor shouted down the intercom.  
  
"I have my hands full up here!" a soldier on the flickering screen shouted back. Gunfire was evident in the background.  
  
"Contact General Cammy!" the second security guard exclaimed.  
  
"That won't be necessary." a voice from behind the two men announced. Both turned to see Vega standing in the doorway.  
  
"Sir Vega?" Vega giggled to himself, watching the scrambled display of basement thirteen before turning to exit the security room.  
  
"I will take care of this myself."  
  
*****  
  
'Maybe this isn't such a bad idea after all...' Cammy thought to herself as she hesitantly pushed several keys on the mainframes surrounding the prisoner. 'Yes, I'll make Master Bison see that I'm his most loyal general. Then... Then maybe he'll understand how I feel...'  
  
The prisoner inside the glass cylinder watched her in the corner of his eye as she slowly pressed each key in the combination.  
  
'I should get rid of this one as soon as I can...' she continued to think, looking back up at the subject and staring at him for a minute or so. 'This power he has over me... Maybe he's trying to control me! I... I should be doing this... I MUST do this...' she stared hard at the final button in the sequence as it glowed a faint blue. Slowly, she hovered her shaky finger over it, trying to empty her mind of these feelings. '...Then why can't I?'  
  
The entire room shook at the force of another blast from above. Small pieces of rubble began to fall from the ceiling. Cammy looked up to the source of the blast, then back to her subject, who immediately looked away.  
  
"...Why?" she repeated to herself, this time allowing the word to slip into the air for all to hear. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open and smashing to the ground. Both Cammy and the specimen looked up to see a group of people entering the room, each armed with handguns. The sight shook the general back to reality. "How did you!?"  
  
"No way..." Ken stammered. "Guile never said anything about Shadaloo's top general being here!" Yun stepped forward and aimed the pistol in his hands straight towards the girl.  
  
"Alright 'general'..." he hissed. "On the ground, now!" Cammy stepped back slowly, searching her pockets for a gun but discovering herself without one. "Get down, now!" the rest of the team followed Yun's lead, aiming their weapons at the Shadaloo soldier. Cammy backed away for a few more steps, then assumed a fighting pose.  
  
"I don't surrender!" she shouted. "I'm willing to die for my master's cause."  
  
"Don't say I didn't warn you..." Yun growled, then slowly began to pull the trigger back. There was a large bang and a flash of light emerged from the gun's barrel, the bullet travelling faster and faster until it was mere inches away from Cammy's body. Suddenly her vision was blocked and all she could see was a pale grey colour. She closed her eyes tightly, keeping them shut for several seconds until she looked down to her stomach. She was in one piece - no blood or wound could be seen. She looked back up to discover that the pale grey she had seen was from the cape her master would always wear.  
  
"WHAT!?" Ken shouted, staring with disbelief at the Shadaloo warlord who had just warped in front of the girl and was now levitating before them, smiling grimly. Ken growled to himself for a moment, scouring his mind for an idea of what to do before giving an order to the rest of their group. "OPEN FIRE!!" Chun-Li and Ryu instantly obeyed and began to shoot wildly at the target, leading the way for the rest of the fighters to follow suit. For under a minute they fired non-stop, then paused, watching the smoke clear from the tips of the guns. To their horror, Bison was alive and well, grinning at them with an insane look on his face. He stepped to the floor and examined each member of the team carefully, then walked towards them. Ken quickly attempted to reload his weapon when Bison raised a hand to him.  
  
"I wouldn't bother." Bison began. "No mortal weapon can harm me." Ken stared wide-eyed at what could only be described as a monster. "You should know that by now..." Bison said as he turned to Chun-Li. "Shouldn't you?" he smiled as he began to raise his hand to the petrified Chinese woman.  
  
"Don't even think about touching her." Ryu exclaimed as he pushed in front of his wife, staring deep into the vortices of Bison's eyes.  
  
"...Pathetic." Bison whispered, raising his hand and causing Ryu to crash into the side of the glass cage in the centre of the room. The man inside stared in amazement at the overlord's power. "I will do whatever I like." he continued, taking his hand to Chun-Li's chin and holding her in place, examining her skin with admiration. "Yes... Such excellent condition..." he growled softly, leaning closer to Chun-Li's ear. "I look forward to having my way with you..."  
  
"Tornado!!" Sean cried, launching himself at Bison in a spinning motion as he kicked towards the enemy. Almost instantly Bison saw the attack, turning then plunging his fist into Sean's stomach.  
  
"Sean!" Ken called, rushing towards his young student. Bison closed his eyes, forcing the rest of the street fighters to skid across the floor, away from the body of their teammate. Bison removed the glowing fist from the boy's body and allowed the bloodied corpse to drop to the floor, tainting the metal with red.  
  
"...Pathetic boy..." he hissed, making his way back over to Cammy. 


	6. A Narrow Escape?

"S...Sean..." Ken muttered, falling to his knees beside the corpse of his young student. He took Sean's hand in his and squeezed it tightly before letting it rest at his side. "I'm sorry..."  
  
He got to his feet, anger beginning to rush through his body as he turned back to Bison, currently walking away from the group of street fighters.  
  
"Bison!" he called. His words were interrupted by the sudden opening of the door they had entered through earlier. Four armed men knelt down and blocked the entrance, aiming their weapons at Bison and beginning to open fire. Ken immediately recognised the face of their leader. "...Guile!"  
  
"Ken!" Guile cried back inbetween blasts at the warlord. "Get out of here, now!"  
  
Ken nodded, pointing towards the entrance Guile had just come through. His team hurriedly made their way out of the laboratory, Ken following just behind, pausing when he reached Guile.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked. Guile nodded and lowered his weapon slightly.  
  
"We're fine, but you're gonna have to get out of here and fast!" the veteran replied. "We planted a bomb on one of the floors upstairs, the place'll go up in smoke in three minutes!"  
  
Ken gave his partner a thumbs up sign indicating his approval of the plan. He knew better than to argue with Guile - he was extremely stubborn, especially when issuing commands. Besides that Guile knew what he was doing, and Ken was aware of that. If anyone could escape the complex under such a strict time limit, it was Guile.  
  
"Good luck!" Ken shouted before disappearing through the doorway and leading his faction towards the elevator for their escape.  
  
"Come on Bison..." Guile growled, reloading his rifle. "We all have to die sometime!"  
  
*****  
  
Cammy could hear the gunfire in the background reverberating around the room. She felt safe behind her master, almost wanting to take hold of his arm, though she knew this would only displease him, as showing your fear is 'a sign of weakness'. She sighed to herself without really knowing why.  
  
"Go." Bison said to her sternly. She looked up, confused. Was he trying to save her? "Evacuate the building and move the specimens to the next location."  
  
Cammy suddenly realised what he meant, then nodded and crouched down on the ground, watching as Bison walked towards the continuous onslaught of firepower coming from Guile's team, no shell or bullet fazing him. She crawled across the floor, making her way to the cage in the centre of the room, then tapped in a sequence of keys to unlock and remove the glass walls. The prisoner calmly made his way off the cylindrical pedestal, glancing at Cammy as her nervous eyes met his. Their gaze was broken by the sudden opening of the second entrance to the laboratory, revealing a tall, fair haired man who wore a forbidding iron mask. He adjusted the metal claws attached to his right hand and walked further into the room before stopping and calling out to the Shadaloo overlord.  
  
"Bison!" he called, a tone of anger ringing in his voice. Bison turned his neck slightly, Guile's team halting their fire, leaving nothing but a few dim, blue lights that had survived the crossfire to illuminate the room.  
  
"Vega..." Bison replied, seemingly displeased by this interruption. "What are you doing here, can't you see that I'm busy?"  
  
Vega raised his claws over his masked face, the metal glowing with an ethereal quality.  
  
"I'm here to take back what is rightfully mine!" he answered, glancing slightly at Cammy as he spoke. "Ever since you took the general from me I've lived in your shadow, but now my time has come! I will take over Shadaloo, and take her back for myself!"  
  
Bison sneered at this, then turned to face Vega completely, walking towards the street fighter, oddly amused. He clenched his fist, causing a faint purple flame to appear and then dissipate in seconds.  
  
"How pathetic..." he taunted. "I thought you were better than this Vega... I never knew you were the kind of soldier who would sacrifice himself for a weak female..."  
  
"Save your thoughts." Vega insisted, putting his fists up in front of him. "We'll see just who is pathetic when I carve you up on a spike!"  
  
Bison's expression changed from amused to serious. He threw his black cape to the floor, then prepared himself for the upcoming fight.  
  
"Come on."  
  
Vega needed no second invitation. Immediately he charged at the warlord, stepping to the side of his opponent in an effort to confuse him before jumping over his head and slicing at his back. A few small scraps of the red material Bison wore sailed to the ground, barely touching the floor before Vega launched another series of punches, finishing off with a roundhouse kick to the face. It collided with Bison's cheek, barely marking it. Bison scowled, touching the point of impact and massaging it gently. He growled, taking his hand away and then making a fist with it.  
  
"Playtime, Vega..." he hissed. "Is over...!"  
  
Bison launched a punch straight into Vega's gut, then tossed him to the side, Vega landing elegantly on his feet. Bison refused to relent, giving chase and aiming punches and kicks right at the Spanish fighter, who narrowly escaped them before backflipping to the edge of the room for safety. Vega stood there in silence for a moment, taking advantage of this pause in action with deep breaths. Bison smiled, leaning forward slightly, his hands poised towards his enemy. Suddenly his entire body burst into deep purple flames.  
  
"PSYCHO CRUSHER!!" he screamed as he spiralled towards Vega, who only just managed to avoid the attack. Bison regained control and turned back to Vega, his smile becoming greater and greater.  
  
Guile slung the rifle over his back, breaking his gaze away from the two fighters.  
  
"Alright everybody!" he ordered, leading the way out of the laboratory. "Retreat!"  
  
The other three members of his team all nodded their approval, then hurriedly followed their leader towards their escape route.  
  
Cammy watched the fight curiously - she had not seen her master fight for quite some time and was infinitely impressed by his technique. She wished that she too could be as strong as him one day. She also noted that Vega was wearing his old Spanish bullfighting uniform, which she hadn't seen in almost a decade. Vega would often say that he would only wear it 'on special occasions', most notably street fights with particularly worthy opponents. She turned back to see the prisoner she had just released, then widened her eyes in shock as she discovered that he had disappeared. She looked around the room, unsure of what to do. She smiled to herself and looked to the ground, closing her eyes. Though she knew that her master would punish her for letting one of his specimens escape, she felt oddly happy that he would be safe. She opened her eyes again, remembering the task at hand. Heading towards the exit she made her way hurridely to the central control room. She had to remove all of the specimens, and quickly.  
  
*****  
  
Vega gasped for air, sweat running down his entire body. He was completely exhausted, the fight seemed to have been going on for hours but in actual fact, only two minutes had expired since they had begun. He knew that Bison would have been tough, possibly the fight of his life, but he had no idea just how incredibly powerful he had become. His heart began to fall into despair as the sad realisation that he was fighting a losing battle for his very existence came to his mind. Bison continued to advance on his prey, smiling the whole time.  
  
"Well, it looks like this is the end of the road Vega." he laughed. "What's the matter? Lost for words?"  
  
Vega growled, putting his fists up once again.  
  
"I haven't even begun to fight yet, Bison!" he answered. The warlord scowled, then charged at the exhausted fighter, spinning around on the spot and kicking him in the jaw, forcing the mask he wore to spin off and crash to the ground. Vega got back to his feet slowly, his bloodied face now easy to see. He coughed slightly and turned to face Bison again, who punched him in the gut and stomped him into the floor, admiring the desperate look on his opponent's face. He then got off his victim, his expression now much more serious.  
  
"I'm very sorry, Vega, but I must take my leave now." he explained to the floored man. Vega managed to look up at him, his eyes widened in confusion. "Oh, didn't you know?" Bison laughed. "This place is going to explode in around... Oh, ten seconds or so." he knelt down to Vega's level and pulled him up by the hair. "Goodbye Vega. I can't say it was nice knowing you." he released the fighter and got to his feet, taking a few steps back before disappearing. Only now could Vega hear the laboratory's alarms going off, listening and waiting for his demise. He closed his eyes slowly as his injuries began to draw him into sleep.  
  
"...Cammy..." he whispered to himself, extending a shaky arm out in front of him. "...I... Loved... You..."  
  
*****  
  
"Master!" Cammy called over to Bison as he appeared onto the heliport, the dark skies above penetrated by thick rain and the sound of lightning. He made his way into the helicopter and sat alongside the general. "Hurry, take off!" she ordered to the pilot, who immediately reacted, pulling the transport up off the ground and flying it away from the tower. Bison smiled to himself as he heard the explosion behind them bring the once mighty building to it's knees. Cammy stared down at the floor of the helicopter, concentrating on the patterns of the metal. She had a feeling that would be Vega's last fight...  
  
"General." Bison said vaguely. Cammy looked up at him, ready to take down an order and get the memories of Vega, and that prisoner, out of her system. "It's a long flight to Thailand." he began, raising his hand towards her and smiling grimly. "I assume you'll keep me sufficiently... Entertained?" 


	7. A New Frontier

Ryu sat outside, watching the planes sail past, their engines roaring overhead. It was good to be back where the air was clean - at least, mostly clean. Here you could still see the sky - the vacuous, pale blue of the morning sky. The sun crept in from behind the huge, widespread airport from which he had just exited, casting away the shadows on his face as he stared at the ground, deep in thought. He would look after the two people he cared about most of all - his wife, Chun-Li, and their daughter, Xiuying. He looked up, over towards the large, automatic glass doors, noticing two familiar faces walking closer.  
  
"Are you ready?" Chun-Li asked him, the sun only just catching the side of her face, unable to give him the opportunity to admire her elegant beauty.  
  
Ryu nodded, getting to his feet and stretching his arms out above him, yawning slightly. He looked down at his daughter, who was clutching Chun-Li's arm, covering her own face from the unrelenting sunshine. He could see past the two females, over to where Ken and Guile were standing, just outside the entrance to the port.  
  
"So where to next, boss?" Ken asked, jokingly. The marine beside him looked over sternly.  
  
"To the north, up towards the mountains." Guile replied. "There's a village. We'll find help there, I'm certain of it."  
  
*****  
  
Ryu had visited the central mountain range of Hokkaido, the northen-most land mass of the four islands of Japan often in his younger days, when training was the only thing he could think of doing. Nowadays he had a family to consider, and, rather inevitably as a result, his training had slackened somewhat. He would still practise by himself whenever he got the chance, but now less free time made it difficult for him to concentrate, especially since they were always on the move. Fortunately Interpol, the agency that Chun-Li regularly worked with covered their costs. It was a small price to pay in order to stop Bison, after all.  
  
The heat of the summer sun was beating down upon the team, causing great discomfort to those who weren't used to such hikes, especially Xiuying and Sakura. Ryu trained his daughter often, and as a result her skill level was spectacular for her age - a mere eight years old. She was very dedicated, taking after her mother in almost every respect. Ryu had originally argued to find Xiuying a hotel where they could pick her up once they had finished but Guile had argued they would be perfectly safe with him leading them. 'Friends become allies against a common foe', or so he claimed.  
  
Fei Long and Guile had already introduced their new allies to Ryu at the airport before they left for Japan. Dee Jay was an expert kick boxer, though Ryu had some slight trouble talking with him, mainly because of his apparant lack of dedication. He always seemed to be more interested in showing the group his singing voice rather than his fighting ability. Guile had assured Ryu that he was an excellent fighter with great ability and Ryu wasn't going to argue with Guile. He knew a fighter when he saw one.  
  
Dee Jay's fighting spirit, however, was always obvious. He would often kick or punch the air in excitement, shouting loudly about 'showing these Shadaloo boys who's boss'. Yun had taken an immediate liking to him due to this common ground.  
  
The other new member on the other hand was a complete contrast to the kick boxer. Guy preferred to keep himself to himself, speaking only when asked directly. He reminded Ryu of himself in his younger days, before he finally realised his feelings for Chun-Li. There seemed to be a mutual respect between the two warriors, despite their lack of conversation thus far. As a matter of fact Guy hadn't spoken once during their journey. Ryu wondered just what was going through his mind for that time. It had been at least seven hours since they left for the mountains and the sun was beginning to set, casting a fiery orange glow over the beautifully scenic landscape.  
  
"Ninja's, huh?" Yun spoke up, bringing up the attention of everyone in the group. Guy looked up vaguely. "I thought they were just in the movies!" Yun laughed, adjusting his cap slightly.  
  
"Quite the opposite Yun." Guile replied, chuckling. "There are many clans watching over Japan, though they live in shadows."  
  
"Speaking of which, Guile..." Ryu chimed in. "I used to train in these mountains years ago, but I never saw a ninja village..."  
  
"You can't expect to just stumble onto them, Ryu." Guile continued, a satisfied smile evident on his face. "You'll see soon enough."  
  
Ryu eyed Guile, slightly puzzled. Xiuying stared at the orange sky up above her as the conversation continued.  
  
"I've always wanted to study the ancient Japanese martial arts styles." Yang began, looking down at the dusty path upon which they walked, rubbing his chin and smiling, trying to contain his excitement. "It would be an honour to see their style up close."  
  
"Well, maybe you'll get the chance, Yang." Guile responded, happy to see his teammate showing such a keen interest in their goal. Yang smiled and clenched his right fist eagerly.  
  
They continued to walk for several minutes in silence, admiring the glow of the sunset as they went before Guile reached his hand out in front of them, signalling the group to stop, which they promptly did, Ryu, Ken and Guy each assuming a fighting position, taking note of the cautious tone in Guile's voice.  
  
"Stop." he ordered firmly. He scanned the area thoroughly, watching for any signs of life. The wind blew calmy in response.  
  
"...What is it?" Ken asked cautiously. Guile was silent. The wind continued to blow peacefully.  
  
"Shhh..." Guile replied, crouching down low, prompting the rest of the group to do so aswell. He paused, staring at the ground intently before rising slowly to his feet once more. "We're here." he announced.  
  
From out of nowhere a small, sharp dagger landed beside his feet, the metal blade shining the orange of the sky back at the intruders. Guy noted to himself that it was well polished.  
  
"...Who are you?" a sinister sounding voice asked, from where Ryu was unable to determine.  
  
"Lieutenant Guile, I have an appointment with your village chief."  
  
There was silence for a moment, before two figures dressed in black leapt out from beside two trees that overlooked the pathway, one pulling the dagger out of the ground before looking up at the strangers. The ninja nodded to his partner, who walked around to the back of the group, causing Chun-Li to move her daughter closer to the middle of their team.  
  
"Walk." the ninja in front said, guiding them off the path and leading them towards their destination. 


	8. Test of Initiation

It took a mere few minutes to walk through the tall, grassy fields that mapped the route between the ninja village and the pathway. Ryu watched the ninja in front of the team very carefully, wary of any sudden attack they may try. Guile seemed to remain calm and composed at all times, his hands at his sides, striding confidently behind their mysterious escort. Yang watched the two darkly clad men in awe, running their leap from the trees to the pathway in his mind over and over again, amazed at the perfection in their landing and agility. Guy still kept his eyes on the grass in front of him, occasionally checking on their escort in the corner of his eye. The ninja in front eventually stopped and turned to them.  
  
"We've arrived." he hissed. He raised his right hand in the air and snapped his fingers before leaping down and out of sight, his partner swiftly following. Ryu walked over to the edge of the hill from where they had just plummeted to see a small valley below, where a quiet, scenic village lay before him.  
  
The group made their way carefully down the steep hillside, eventually arriving on the flat, level ground where the village stood. Ryu turned and admired the view whilst the rest of the team found their bearings.  
  
The houses were beautiful, perfectly recreated examples of ancient Japan, nestling close to each other in order to maximise their usage of the small surroundings available. Just beside the village lay some small fields, most likely used for the village's main source of food, though Ryu presumed that they would hunt often aswell to maintain their lifestyle. Several trees were scattered inbetween houses and pathways, with one larger house in the centre adorned with various tablets and a decorative pathway leading to it's entrance. That must be where the ninja's were trained, Ryu told himself. There was a small clearing of grass that had been worn away over the years, most likely used as a battle ground in combat practise. The team made their way further into the village, Guile leading the way towards the main building.  
  
"State your business." a large, burly man ordered firmly as they approached the entrance to the dojo. He was adorned in robes of a deep red colour whose black hair covered his forehead and made his eyes difficult to see.  
  
"I'm Lieutenant Guile, here on official Interpol business." Guile announced,  
  
"Hmm..." the man replied. "Then it is true... You do need our help..."  
  
Yang stared around the village in awe, amazed by the perfect simulation of ancient Japanese life.  
  
"You could say that." Guile continued. "You know of the Shadaloo threat, I presume?"  
  
The man smiled slightly before answering.  
  
"Yes, of course." he replied. "But I do not know why an organisation as powerful as Interpol has come to this quiet, peaceful village of Japan to ask for help."  
  
"The answer is simple." Guile answered truthfully. "We need all the help we can get."  
  
The man closed his eyes, nodding and humming to himself as his mind worked away on his response.  
  
"I'm afraid we do not comply so easily." he said finally, turning away to enter the dojo and end the conversation. "I'm sure that your government can find somebody else out there. Good day."  
  
"Chief!" Guile called, his voice rising in volume. "You must understand the influence of Shadaloo! If we want to live freely then we have to work together."  
  
The chief stopped, his hand ready to slide the entrance open and shut out the visitors. He turned, removing his hand and making his way down the steps to be on level ground with Guile.  
  
"Just tell me what I have to do." Guile asked humbly. The man smiled, before pointing to Ryu.  
  
"You." he began. Ryu stepped forward and bowed his head slightly, keeping his eyes on the chief at all times. "You are Japanese, correct?" Ryu nodded. "Excellent." he turned back to Guile before continuing. "He will do."  
  
"What do you wish of me?" Ryu asked cautiously, knowing that the eyes of all the ninja's in this village were watching him at this very moment. Watching and waiting for a mistake.  
  
"If you can defeat one of my clan, then I will lend you aid."  
  
Ryu smiled, the fighting spirit beginning to stir inside of him.  
  
"I accept." he responded, watching the chief carefully.  
  
"Ibuki!!" the man called. Within seconds his chosen disciple leapt down from the roof of the dojo, landing elegantly on the floor beside of him and looking up to the opponent. The ninja straightened up and slowly rose to full height, causing Ryu's eyes to widen in surprise.  
  
"A..." he stammered. "A woman...?"  
  
Yang stared at the strange female for a moment, trying in vain to stop his eyes from widening, not from shock, but from awe. The ninja's entire body was covered except for her hair, hands and topper most part of her face. She had beautiful, dark brown eyes that glimmered in the hazy, setting sun and her hair was tied back in a long, elegant ponytail that swept down to her hips. The ninja's traditional, black undersuit was kept from view by a baggy, beige coloured uniform, presumably to distinguish her as a ninja still undergoing training, though it was still evident that she wore one thanks to the mask which rose from her chest, up over her neck and covering her jaw.  
  
"Master?" she asked, her eyes trailing Ryu's body, squinting slightly, as if trying to pick up more detail.  
  
"I want you to fight this man." the chief ordered, extending his arm to Ryu. Ibuki nodded, turning to her newly selected opponent, eyes still fixed on him intently. The chief coughed to get her attention once more. "The training ground, Ibuki...?"  
  
"Oh!" the ninja responded, her face picking up a small hint of red, forcing her to quickly turn and lead the way to the ninja's training ground, where practise battles were held.  
  
The group followed her, Ryu leading the way as she walked over to the marked off area of slightly worn out earth and grass before leaping over to the opposite side and turing, her fighting posture already assumed. Ryu returned the favour by clenching his fists and checking on the tightness his headband, ready to begin their battle at any time.  
  
"Let's go." he beckoned.  
  
"BEGIN!" the chief shouted, prompting Ibuki to immediately launch herself into the air, spiralling towards Ryu, who had already decided on his plan of defence. Ibuki's body came hurtling closer and closer until the proximity was perfect. Ryu clenched his right fist and shot straight up into the air, his dragon punch foiled only by Ibuki's cunning use of a ninja's weaponry. Before Ryu could reach she hurled a small dagger straight at his leg, designed to put him off balance. The plan worked. Ryu noticed the incoming projectile and instantly withdrew the punch, applying his weight towards the right in order to narrowly escape the blade and roll away to safety. Ibuki landed neatly on the ground before spinning back to face Ryu and skidding across the floor, hooking her foot around Ryu's leg and neutralising his balance once more. She slid behind him and wrapped her arms and legs around his body, applying pressure onto him with her limbs and then catapulting her body off his, causing him to spin to the ground without control.  
  
Ryu coughed, slowly getting to his feet and lifting his face up from the dusty earth. Ibuki had already reassumed her fighting pose and was eying him cautiously. She had caught him off guard with her unique style of attack, but Ryu never fell for the same trick twice in one match. This time he jumped up into the air, ready to strike out at her with a kick. As predicted, she had a counter measure up her sleeve. Ibuki launched herself into the air, right leg first, her foot coming up to collide with his stomach. Ryu had anticipated this, leaning slightly to the left and grabbing the rising ankle with his hand. Ibuki flailed in his possession, waving her arms in a poor attempt to knock him off balance once more and return to the safety of the ground. Ryu punched her in the gut and released her, forcing her to collide with the dry soil below and cough before attempting to get to her feet. Ryu, however, was one step ahead of her.  
  
Ibuki got to her feet slowly before being kicked back up into the air by her gravity defying opponent. Ryu spinned momentarily on the spot, pulling her into his hurricane kick and smashing her out half way across the ground with tremendous force. The ninja landed on the floor with a thud, pausing slightly to regain her breath before rolling back onto her side and watching her opponent carefully, waiting for him to make the next move. Ryu stared back at her, his fists raised, ready to counterattack.  
  
By now many ninja's from the village were watching the fight from the sidelines, happy with the spectacle of two very different fighting styles going all out to win.  
  
"It must be good to have a man like that, hm?" the chief whispered in Sakura's ear. She stared back at him, puzzled. "You've done well there, my dear."  
  
Sakura blushed furiously, turning away and giggling to herself. Chun-Li looked over to the two, confusion written on her face. Xiuying was watching the fight excitedly.  
  
Ibuki skidded along the ground with her legs once more, sailing towards him. Ryu leapt over her and turned quickly, firing off a small, bright blue burst of energy. Ibuki sidestepped, dashing towards him again and jumping up, roundhouse kicking in the air as she closed in on him. Ryu grabbed her leg once again, spinning her around and throwing her to the edge of the training ground. Undeterred, Ibuki leapt up once more, skidding towards him, rolling to the side and then jumping over him. His back facing her, she allowed him to turn before grabbing him by the long collar of his robe and plunging her fist towards his stomach. With reflexes as quick as lightning, Ryu kneed her in the gut, silencing her impending attack before finishing her off with a swift dragon punch to the jaw. The ninja girl spiralled up into the air, then came tumbling back down, hitting the ground with a loud thud. She raised her arm slightly, her hand quivering then falling back to the floor. Ryu bowed his head then turned to the chief, who nodded.  
  
"You've down well." he congratulated. "I must admit that I was not expecting such a fine show, I'm most impressed by your fighting style."  
  
"Thank you." Ryu replied, picking up Xiuying as she ran over to his feet and gave him a hug.  
  
"A promise is a promise." the chief continued, turning to Guile, who was proudly smiling. "Take Ibuki."  
  
"What?" Guile murmered, surprised. The chief smiled.  
  
"She needs to see the world!" he explained. "And, as you just saw, she is well versed in the arts of our clan. I'm sure she can serve you well."  
  
"Even so, I was expecting more than just a kid..." Guile mumbled.  
  
"But chief!" a bruised Ibuki complained, limping over to the group.  
  
"That's an order, Ibuki."  
  
The girl sighed, turning away and brushing the dust from the back of her uniform.  
  
"My men will be dispatched immediately Lieutenant." the village chief explained. "There are several who have already infiltrated Thailand and are actively watching the actions of Shadaloo. My messengers will send word of our alliance."  
  
The man turned towards the dojo before pausing in the centre of the village.  
  
"Oh, and... You are free to stay here tonight. But, I need not remind you that when dealing with a certain Bison, time is always of the essence."  
  
Guile nodded, turning back to his team and smiling. Another victory for their resistance. 


	9. Back to Europe

A holiday was the last thing that Ryu had been expecting, though he eagerly took it when he got the chance. He needed some quality time with his family and Xiuying was more than happy to oblige. The team stayed at the ninja village for two whole days after that, some training, some talking, others just relaxing. Ryu was taking part in the latter just before his daughter interrupted him.  
  
"Dad?" she asked, looking down at him. Ryu turned back to face her.  
  
"Hm?" he responded, getting up from the grass below slowly, Chun-Li watching from beside him.  
  
"Spar with me!" Xiuying exclaimed excitedly. "Please?"  
  
"Sure." Ryu laughed, getting to his feet and walking over to an unused patch of earth, Xiuying following eagerly. He turned and assumed his regular fighting pose, prompting her to reproduce her own. The two stared at each other from across the field for a moment, watching, and waiting for the right time to strike.  
  
It was Ryu who ended up beginning the fight, charging towards Xiuying and throwing a kick towards her side, which was easily dodged. The girl rolled to the side, jumping away from a second, sweeping kick that again missed the target. She flipped up onto her feet and reassumed her readied stance, watching her father cautiously. She knew what would come now - a dash towards her, jab to the right to knock her off balance and then a hurricane kick to finish it off. She was ready.  
  
Sure enough, as was already seen in Xiuying's mind, Ryu charged, launching a light punch to the right which was evaded with ease, Xiuying's long pigtails echoing the graceful evasion of her father's punch. Ryu barely let his feet touch the ground before spinning back and spiralling his feet out back towards the girl, who lowered herself onto the ground, then turned, clapping both palms together and building energy before unleashing a small, pale blue blast out at her father. The energy was still unstable - she needed to practise more.  
  
"Kadoken!" she cried, the blast striking her father's leg and causing him to stumble onto the ground. Ryu put his hand down to the floor, breaking his fall and rolling away to safety. He got to his feet and turned to face his daughter.  
  
"You're getting better!" he announced, smiling. Xiuying smiled back, happy to be able to prove her worth. She was still young, but powerful nevertheless.  
  
Ryu returned to his wife who was lying back, head resting against her arms as she watched the clouds sail by in the deep blue afternoon sky. She tilted her up as Ryu joined her.  
  
"Taught her well, huh?" she asked. Ryu laughed slightly, sitting next to her and watching as Xiuying hassled Sakura for a sparring match.  
  
"It wasn't just me, you know." he replied. He was right too. His daughter had been brought up to not only know and understand her father's style, but her mother's as well. The end result was a unique combination of Ryu's precise skill and timing and Chun-Li's expert agility and lightning fast kicks. Xiuying preferred to weaken her opponent from a distance before lunging in when the time was right and unleashing a flurry of devastating close quarter attacks, leaving her the clear victor. She had never been in a real fight before, so inexperience was the only thing she really lacked.  
  
A shadow approached and Ryu looked up to see the figure of Guile standing above him.  
  
"We're leaving in one hour." he told Ryu, who nodded and lay back down beside his wife.  
  
A group of around four or five unmasked ninja's were quietly engaged in what seemed to be idle conversation. Among them, the newcomer and who seemed to be the youngest of the entire clan, was Ibuki.  
  
"So, looks like you've been promoted Ibuki." one ninja spoke, leaning in closer towards her. Ibuki's eyes were closed as she leaned against a tree and sighed. "Hope you won't forget us." he joked.  
  
"I don't even know why the chief ordered me to go with them, this is so stupid..." she answered back, brushing the tips of her two long ponytails idly as she spoke.  
  
"Well, I dunno..." the ninja continued, looking up at her and smiling. "I think one of those Chinese kids was checking you out, you could have a thing going here..."  
  
Ibuki opened her eyes and turned to face her old companion, causing him to back away slightly.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous." she snapped.  
  
*****  
  
The walk back towards the airport was full of conversation, mostly sparked off by Dee Jay, as Ryu had discovered on their walk to the village.  
  
"Woah, when he said ninja's, I thought they'd be some mean mother's, but boy did you show 'em!" the Jamaican laughed, patting Ryu on the back vigorously. "You've gotta show me some of those kicks some time, man!"  
  
"Sure." Ryu chuckled. It was good to have some entertainment on these journeys, even if he would sometimes talk too much.  
  
Ibuki trailed behind the team, staring down at the dusty path as they walked, Guy being the only one behind them. He seemed to prefer being at the back of the group. Both were walking in silence.  
  
"Excuse me, ma'am." Xiuying asked, looking up at the ninja.  
  
"Hm?" Ibuki replied, staring back down at the girl, rather surprised that she was being addressed.  
  
"What does a ninja do?" Xiuying continued. Chun-Li watched her daughter in the corner of her eye. Ibuki smiled for the first time since she had been defeated by Ryu days ago.  
  
"We do lots of things." she answered. "We train all day, and patrol all night. We take turns in caring for the fields, but our main goal is to keep this country safe."  
  
"So you're like my dad?"  
  
Ibuki fell silent again for a moment, her eyes trailing up to Ryu who was engaged in conversation with Dee Jay before looking back down on the girl at her side.  
  
"Yes..." she said, smiling. "I guess we are..."  
  
"I think you're very pretty, ma'am." Xiuying carried on, causing Ibuki to blush and look away.  
  
"Oh..." she whispered. "Thank you."  
  
"So, anyway..." Ken spoke up, realising the rare opportunity that Dee Jay had fallen silent. "Where to next, boss?"  
  
"Paris." Guile returned, his eyes still fixated on the road ahead of them.  
  
"Back to Europe?" Yun complained, removing his cap as he spoke and ruffling his black hair. "I was looking forward to staying here..."  
  
"Sorry, Yun." Guile chuckled. "But we're not always going to be able to laze around in sunshine on this mission."  
  
"Right..." Yun sighed, pocketing his cap.  
  
"Gloomy cities..." Sakura yawned, reminding herself of Poland and Moscow. "Why can't Shadaloo be in the Carribean?"  
  
Ibuki smiled.  
  
"A ninja works best in dark places." she spoke up finally. Ryu turned and looked at her for a moment. Guy raised his eyes slightly, watching her from behind. He frowned slightly, keeping his eyes focused on his neck. He didn't trust ninja's.  
  
"Good to have you on the team, Ibuki." Guile told her as they continued to make their way down the mountain path.  
  
The street fighters continued just past the bush where a tall, shadowy figure was waiting - watching their every step. They continued off into the distance until they were many yards away before a buzz on the radio communicator in the figure's hand disrupted it's spying.  
  
"Have you found anything?" the equipment asked fuzzily.  
  
"Mm." the figure breathed back through the receiver.  
  
"Excellent. How went the operation in Moscow?"  
  
"Hrm." the figure hissed again.  
  
"He got away? No matter." the male voice on the opposite end of the radio paused for a second before continuing it's orders. "I'll despatch another agent to deal with him. You concentrate on those street fighters. Over and out."  
  
The figure flipped the switch on the radio to the dial marked: 'Off' and got to it's feet, watching as the sun prepared to set over the northen Japanese island of Hokkaido. All was done here. Now all he needed to do was watch. And wait... 


End file.
